UW’s Old Stone Quarry Property for Sale

May 6, 2011 — An old stone quarry that has been idle since 1988 and was
used by the University of Wyoming to obtain sandstone for its campus buildings,
is up for sale.

The 13.2-acre parcel of land is located approximately 10
miles northeast of UW off Rogers Canyon Road.

The university in 1928 purchased the stone quarry property from
Warren Livestock Company to supply sandstone materials for UW buildings.
Beginning in the 1940s, UW quarried sandstone from the property for many campus
structures that were built during that time. UW's Physical Plant recommended in
1988 that the quarry be closed and all buildings were later removed.

Individuals and masonry/stone companies the last 20 years have
approached UW about acquiring the property, says Douglas H. Vinzant, UW vice
president for administration, but the requests were denied because the
university had not been able to locate a reasonable substitute for sandstone
materials.

He told UW Board of Trustee members Friday that UW's
Facilities Planning Office has recently identified several quarry locations and
vendors that can supply suitable sandstone building materials for university
construction projects.

Vinzant says the quarry site has passed inspection since its
closing.

The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WYDEQ) in
1989 approved the use of Abandoned Mine Land (AML) funding to remediate the
quarry. WYDEQ in 1992 filed a Certification of Completion for reclamation,
which included reduction of highwalls, construction of berming, placement of
rock to control access and placement of warning signs.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 1991 inspected
the quarry to assess potential health and safety risks, which may have resulted
from the disposal of radioactive waste at the site in the 1950s. A monitoring
well was also installed.

No contamination was detected on the quarry property and potential
health and safety risks were classified as negligible. The NRC detected no contamination
of groundwater, violations, or deviations.
In 2002 the NRC completed an assessment of the burial site and concluded
that environmental impacts were not significant and that the sites could be
released for unrestricted use.

Revenue generated from the stone quarry sale can be used for
other UW-related property purchases, Vinzant says.